pastameshugana

Thank you!

Just as a general thanks to this topic, I decided to make an omelette this morning for the first time in a few years. I don't often eat breakfast, and it it's eggs I really love a proper scramble. However, I was delighted to see I hadn't lost my touch. It was delicious, done fast, and magazine pretty. I told myself I was going to take a picture, then remembered as I was nearing the last bite...

Thank you!

Yes!

For my entire life (at least as far back as I can remember), El Pato (in the yellow can) has been a staple, go-to, and necessary ingredient. It's not very hot, but just has that "lil' somethin' somethin'" that many meals need! When we lived in India, we couldn't get it and so the occasional can smuggled in a suitcase was treasured and meted out in careful doses. Now that we live in South Africa, again we can't find it, but there are many great hot sauces (many very local) that we use and love. Every little market and grannie has their own achar blend that is delightful. One of the seafood restaurants near us (Harbor Fish and Grill in Meyersdal, Johannesburg), has an absolutely incredible chili they serve with their rolls and you can also buy by the bottle. Another interesting note about South Africa: Tobasco is everywhere. Nearly ever restaurant has it on the table, and often multiple flavors. Back to El Pato: It's affordable, tasty, and goes great on almost everything. I've even marinated chicken in it to make pulled chicken chimichangas. I think I've mentioned before, but dipping plain Lay's Potato chips in it is very addicting...

That little 'lake 'o butter' in your potatoes looks amazing.

We lived several years on the edge of the Navajo Nation, and Spam is very prominent there as well. It featured on several breakfast menus, enough that I forced my children to watch Monty Python's Spam & Eggs skit. They didn't laugh, heathens. The explanation given to me (which is the same given by my old friend who grew up in Guam) was that it was something that would keep long term without refrigeration, so it just made sense to have it around. Of course people eventually developed a taste for it...

Beautiful! Great to get them to fall in love with cooking young. All three of our adult children started cooking young. We've got two more in the house that are catching on.

The Yoder's are really nice, top of the heap when it comes to pellet grills/smokers. I think the next step down would be Green Mountain Grills - they used to be *much* better than Traeger's, but I think Traeger has caught up a fair bit in the last couple of years. We sold our little GMG when we moved to South Africa last year, but it was a good friend for a long time.

Years ago my wife and I spent a few days in New Orleans. One night, all we did was go down the list of "best oysters in NOLA" and get a dozen at each place. Drago's was the clear winner. And don't forget to use your bread to soak up all the lovely juices/butter in the tray!

I don't know how I ended up at the method, but my go-to: Crack the eggs in the pan with Olive Oil or butter, stir gently as they are setting, add sriracha or chili of choice (right now using Aachar from a local vendor in Soweto), some cheese of choice, and keep stirring until juuuust before they are about to set. Then I add a little bit of either: Milk, cream, or yoghurt (depending on what is at hand), and let the excess moisture evaporate. The result is soft, but not slimy, well-set but still glistening, and lovely striations of white, yellow, and red from the chili. I don't add salt or pepper because the chili has enough of both.

When we lived in India, this was one of the more common flavors available. Along with 'American Style' which was essentially Sour Cream & Onion as far as I could tell.

These look amazing, but I’ve never heard of them. It looks like coconut over melted chocolate on a cookie or graham cracker base of some sort. Am I in the ballpark?

I really love the idea of the stuffed squash - we've done stuffed peppers for years, but a couple of the vagrants living with us (our younger children) don't like bell peppers. This might be the solution!

Ours has definitely trended earlier over the years. Because of my job, we are often out evenings (the whole family), and leave early. On nights we are out, we make plans that dinner is ready to eat when we get home - 8-9pm. Sometimes that means picking up drive through rubbish... When we're home, we'll eat between 5 & 6pm. Amazing how your body changes over the years. Staying up until 11-12 used to be normal and easy. Now we're wrecked by 9pm. I'm usually up between 3:45-4:15am so that's part of it I'm sure.

Beautiful egg!

Hilarious!

Seriously. @blue_dolphin 's breakfast offerings are truly spectacular. I think a "Blue Dolphin Breakfast Cafe" would be a hit.

Sounds delicious!

Is that a compound butter of some sort on top of the patty? Or cheese? All of these pictures are beautiful and the food looks delicious!

That is a magazine-cover-worthy burger and roll for sure!

I started brushing my teeth 'lefty' about 2 years ago just for the heck of it. It's 'almost' second nature now, so I guess I need a new challenge. I don't know about the mouse, that frightens me...

Just last night we were reminding our 17yo daughter to be careful of the cheese grater, and she wasn't taking us seriously. That seems to be a lesson that simply cannot be taught, it must be 'caught'!

Sorry to hear it, but I'd gladly take some of that pulled pork and amazing sounding dessert off your hands, if but for the ocean(s) separating us...

A gorgeous dish, something I would love to eat right now. It looks like spring on a plate (and it's *almost* spring for us here in South Africa). But, what are the 'nukes'? I'm guessing the jalapeños I see (or are they serrano?). Or am I missing some secret culinary treat I need to know about?